Use the following passage to help you answer questions 14 & 15."The carnival celebration is an example of a European tradition that became uniquely Brazilian through Afro-Brazilian influences. Carnival originated as a Catholic holiday, but over time broadened its focus to cultural expression across religions and social boundaries like class and race. Festivities involve four days of elaborate parades, masquerades, and dances. Brazil hosts some of the most famous carnivals in the world. Other famous carnivals include Mardi Gras in New Orleans and an annual masquerade in Venice, Italy."When carnival began in Brazil, some elites worried that Afro-Brazilians participation would ruin the traditional, European celebration. But Afro-Brazilian carnival celebrations and dance styles began to attract more attention than traditional European balls. From the favela hillside communities of the Rio de Janeiro came a song and dances tyle called samba. Overtime, it became a defining characteristic of Brazilian carnival. Escolas de samba (samba schools) and community centers were set up in Rio de Janeiro in the 1920s and 1930s. These schools prepared choreographies and costumes year-round for competitions. Today, samba remains central to carnaval do Brasil (Brazilian Carnival) and an enduring example of what it means to be Brazilian.In the 1970s, some Afro-Brazilians noted that although black music was played, the principal carnival celebrations often ignored cultural and political issues important to black people. Afro-Brazilians in the city of Bahia decided to create blocos afro ("bloco"—a carnival drumming processional, and "afro'—from Afro-Brazilian). They aimed to make samba processionals that addressed black issues while celebrating black heritage and community at carnival and in public parades throughout the year."What dance is a cultural staple of Brazil?

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